GATHERING OF EAGLES RALLY - PERMIT UPDATE

GATHERING OF EAGLES RALLY - PERMIT UPDATE
March 12th, 2007 | Category: Logistics

The National Park Service has issued a permit for the Gathering of Eagles demonstration and rally on March 17 in Washington, D.C. as illustrated on the Eagle web site “Maps” link under “Sections”.

BOTTOM LINE: AS UNACCEPTABLE AS THE PERMIT GRANTED IS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL

We view the permit decision unacceptable and will be taking immediate steps to appeal what we believe is an unworkable decision. If the National Park Service is unfavorable to our appeal, our legal arm will pursue immediate court action to acquire an equitable, realistic solution.

The good news is the Park Service is granting the Eagles large amounts of territory adjacent to the Vietnam Memorial as well as along the march route of the antiwar protesters. We are being given the use of the western side of Constitution Gardens, which is contiguous to the Vietnam Memorial, thus giving us controlling ground. That permit is for an estimated 10,000 people. If things stand as they are, we will use that as a staging area for our people to cycle along the pathways, visiting statues and the Vietnam Memorial which comprise the Memorial area. (The maps are included below for convenience and are also available under “Sections” on the Eagle web site - click on the “Maps” tab and look at maps 1 and 2 for illustrations of areas permitted for each group)

Bad news is the Park Service decided to grant the other half of Constitution Gardens to the so-called antiwar group ANSWER, with a no man’s land in between. This is unacceptable and will be challenged in our appeal.

ANSWER is telling their supporters to gather at the park on Henry Bacon Dr. on Saturday morning for a ‘People’s Assembly’ before their march kicks off at 12:30 p.m. They have no announced plans to use Constitution Gardens anymore–in fact they have removed all mention of Constitution Gardens from their updated maps for March 17–yet they are refusing to relinquish their permit application for that area in an effort to inhibit the rights of the Eagles to assemble in a consolidated location. This will be part of our appeal.

The pathways through the Memorial are narrow and can accommodate about four abreast. We must keep in mind the Park Service is intent on keeping the Memorial open to the general public. Many have plans to stand watch all day in front of the Vietnam Wall, which the Park Service understands, and is working to make sure Memorials are protected while maintaining access by the general public.

The Park Service has granted us demonstration areas along the antiwar march route. Those areas include the sidewalk on the Lincoln Memorial Circle from Henry Bacon Dr. to Memorial Bridge as well as two large grass areas across the street from that sidewalk leading up to the bridge. (Again, review the Maps below)

Also, we have been granted a permit for half of Memorial Circle closest to Arlington National Cemetery on the Virginia side of Memorial Bridge. We intend to occupy this area and serve as a symbolic guard as the antiwar marchers pass on their way to the north parking lot of the Pentagon.

More bad news is that as of now, the Park Service is insisting that we not hold our morning rally/program at Constitution Gardens but that we hold it almost two blocks from the Vietnam Memorial on the other side of the antiwar rally vicinity Ohio Drive, SW. They are also insisting that we stage our First Aid, water station, portable toilets and operations center in the same far off location. This is also unacceptable and will be part of the appeal.

We are perplexed as to what the Park Service expects to happen by forcing Eagles to move through, near, or on the sidewalk along the antiwar rally in order to visit our two main gathering areas as currently permitted. This would create a near intolerable situation, particularly for disabled or others with limited mobility. We have asked for the entirety of Constitution Gardens for the day so that we can contain our main operations to one location, for obvious reasons.

It appears the anti-war ANSWER group want their population in a single area for ease to begin their march… Eagles want our population in a single area for ease of control and facility support….in short both groups want to be separated from one another. The Park Service solution fails to meet the common sense and public safety test by creating a potential conflict.
As mentioned above we will be appealing this permit decision on Monday 12 March, 2007.

We hope to have the issue favorably resolved in the coming days. In the meantime, please review the maps posted detailing where things stand at this time as permitted by the Park Service.

In any event, our gathering location vicinity the Vietnam Memorial wall as shown on map 1 is not expected to change..also note the metro stops on map 2.

We have a mission on March 17. We will accomplish that mission.

Eagles Up!

More Here:
http://www.gatheringofeagles.org/